Post by Misha on Aug 14, 2012 14:08:48 GMT -7
The article here.
The supposedly offending quote:
"I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That’s what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is."
How do you feel about this?
Personally, I think the author of the article is being rather radically feminist. I don't see a single intended insult in what the lead designer said. All he's saying is "People like different games, but sometimes you want to share in the joy of a game that might not fit the other person's usual style. We've created a mode so that way they can enjoy the game with you and not get frustrated by mechanics they're unfamiliar with bringing them down."
To me, it's an endearing sentiment, and it's meant to bring gamers, and gaming couples, together.
Consider that the MAJORITY of FPS players are men. The MAJORITY of female gamers do not play FPS. A gaming couple might have only one or two types of games that they both enjoy and can play together. This gives them the opportunity to play something new. Using a blanket term that covers the MAJORITY is not an insult. It's keeping things simple. And "girlfriend mode" isn't even the official name of it. It's the "Best Friends Forever skill tree"
I've gamed all my life, but I vastly prefer RPG over anything else. My husband has gamed all his life, and his favorite games are FPS. We usually only find a game that we both enjoy playing for a long time every couple of years. We'll have a game that lasts a couple weeks, but it's rare we find something that lasts months. The first Borderlands lasted us months. We played the hell out of that game, because it appealed to both of us, and it wasn't terribly frustrating for a non-FPSer to get into.
I've played his games here and there with him -- Team Fortress 2, CoD4 -- I get sick of them fast. They're frustrating. I'm not used to them, there's no margin for error, I can't do anything, so I can't even really learn.
Borderlands is a wonderful mix of RPG and FPS, and while there is a larger margin for error in it than other FPS games, it still requires a degree of accuracy that someone who doesn't usually play such games possesses. It's can be sort of a gateway game into FPS, too. It's co-op, you fight against computer, and like in most RPGs, the enemies you start off against aren't too difficult. They get stronger and smarter as you go, as you get better at the game and level up.
What I'm saying is -- Borderlands is a great game for gamer couples to play together, because it will appeal to both. The added mechanic of the "girlfriend mode" will only make that aspect even better.
The supposedly offending quote:
"I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That’s what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is."
How do you feel about this?
Personally, I think the author of the article is being rather radically feminist. I don't see a single intended insult in what the lead designer said. All he's saying is "People like different games, but sometimes you want to share in the joy of a game that might not fit the other person's usual style. We've created a mode so that way they can enjoy the game with you and not get frustrated by mechanics they're unfamiliar with bringing them down."
To me, it's an endearing sentiment, and it's meant to bring gamers, and gaming couples, together.
Consider that the MAJORITY of FPS players are men. The MAJORITY of female gamers do not play FPS. A gaming couple might have only one or two types of games that they both enjoy and can play together. This gives them the opportunity to play something new. Using a blanket term that covers the MAJORITY is not an insult. It's keeping things simple. And "girlfriend mode" isn't even the official name of it. It's the "Best Friends Forever skill tree"
I've gamed all my life, but I vastly prefer RPG over anything else. My husband has gamed all his life, and his favorite games are FPS. We usually only find a game that we both enjoy playing for a long time every couple of years. We'll have a game that lasts a couple weeks, but it's rare we find something that lasts months. The first Borderlands lasted us months. We played the hell out of that game, because it appealed to both of us, and it wasn't terribly frustrating for a non-FPSer to get into.
I've played his games here and there with him -- Team Fortress 2, CoD4 -- I get sick of them fast. They're frustrating. I'm not used to them, there's no margin for error, I can't do anything, so I can't even really learn.
Borderlands is a wonderful mix of RPG and FPS, and while there is a larger margin for error in it than other FPS games, it still requires a degree of accuracy that someone who doesn't usually play such games possesses. It's can be sort of a gateway game into FPS, too. It's co-op, you fight against computer, and like in most RPGs, the enemies you start off against aren't too difficult. They get stronger and smarter as you go, as you get better at the game and level up.
What I'm saying is -- Borderlands is a great game for gamer couples to play together, because it will appeal to both. The added mechanic of the "girlfriend mode" will only make that aspect even better.